Chapter 30: Konoha's Counterattack
The Sand ninja, still feigning confidence, never saw it coming. The Chidori in Ren's hand morphed, elongating into a crackling, spear-like lance of pure lightning. It crossed the distance in a blink, piercing clean through the man's chest before he could even twitch.
"Keh... Nani? It... it can... extend...?!" the impaled ninja gasped, staring in disbelief at the fatal wound in his torso.
"Tch. That's what you get for showing off," Ren muttered coldly.
***Ding! Host eliminates 1 Special Jōnin. Reward: 3,000 Points. Total Points: 16,343.***
"Yosuke! Damn you! Die!" The remaining Sand ninja, having just finished his seals, roared in fury and unleashed his jutsu. "Wind Style: Vacuum Wave!"
Dozens of rotating, razor-sharp blades of compressed air shot toward Ren, hitting his body dead-on. The force of the impact sent him flying backward, his form seemingly shredded by the vicious wind blades.
"Did I get him? It's impossible to survive a direct hit from that technique," the Sand ninja panted, watching Ren's motionless body hit the ground. A wave of grim satisfaction washed over him.
"It was really close."
The voice came from directly behind his ear. Before the Sand ninja could process the sound, a single, hardened finger, charged with chakra, punched through the back of his skull. His eyes widened, his vision blurring as consciousness fled. *But... I hit him...* was his final, confused thought.
The 'Ren' lying on the ground dissolved into a puff of smoke and a substituted log.
"Suoga... so that's it... a substitution jutsu..." the ninja breathed his last, slumping to the ground. The doubt in his eyes remained—*When did he have time to make a substitution?*
***Ding! Host eliminates 1 Special Jōnin. Reward: 3,000 Points. Total Points: 19,343.*** New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on ɴovelfire.net
*Fortunately, he was only a Special Jōnin. A real Jōnin wouldn't have been so easily tricked,* Ren thought, wiping his finger clean. He had been watching the second ninja carefully. The moment he'd killed the first with the Chidori Sharp Spear, he'd already executed the Substitution Technique, leaving a log in his place. The vacuum wave had hit nothing but wood. While the Sand ninja was basking in his false victory, Ren had used the Body Flicker to appear behind him for the lethal Finger Gun strike. The entire exchange had taken mere seconds.
On the high rooftop, Might Guy was staring, utterly amazed. "Kakashi! How can the Chidori do all that?!"
"After mastering the Chidori's essence, he adapted it," Kakashi explained, his voice a low murmur of professional analysis and deep personal curiosity. "A variation that electrifies the whole body for offense and defense. Another that extends its range into a projectile spear... The talent of this boy... it's the greatest I've ever seen in someone his age." His visible eye narrowed. "Who *is* he?"
"Kakashi, look!" Guy suddenly pointed toward the sky.
Above Konoha, a hawk was circling, emitting a specific, piercing cry.
"It's the signal," Kakashi said, his demeanor shifting instantly from observer to commander. "It's finally begun. Let's go." He gave one last, lingering look at the masked ANBU below before shunshinning away, Guy following close behind.
Meanwhile, the battle on the roof reached its grim climax. The Third Hokage had Orochimaru in a desperate, final grip, but the cost was immense—the Kusanagi Sword was buried deep in Hiruzen's own chest. Behind the Third Hokage, a massive, ethereal specter loomed—the Shinigami itself, summoned by the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. One of the death god's arms had already passed through Hiruzen's body and grasped Orochimaru's soul, beginning the agonizing process of dragging it out.
"My hands... I can't form seals!" Orochimaru thought, struggling against the Hokage's iron grip. He let out a wet, rasping laugh. "You can let go now, can't you?"
The Third Hokage held on, his face a mask of pain and determination. "Your ambition... to harm Konoha... ends here."
"My ambition will not be stopped," Orochimaru hissed. "You will die here soon. As you breathe your last, do you still dream of saving Konoha as its Hokage? Have you grasped the situation? My forces and the Sand have attacked together! Your ninja, your women and children... they will all be slaughtered! The Konoha Crush Plan is a success! Hahahaha!"
"You probably don't know, Orochimaru," Hiruzen gasped, his voice weakening but his spirit unbroken. "Don't underestimate the ninja of this village! They will fight with their lives to protect their home. The true power in this world... it isn't about learning all techniques... I taught you that once before... A ninja's true power emerges... when they are protecting someone precious to them."
Orochimaru could only glare, a flicker of something—frustration, fury, perhaps even a shred of forgotten respect—in his serpentine eyes.
Elsewhere, squads of Sand and Sound ninja had penetrated deep into Konoha's residential districts, searching houses.
"This one's empty too!"
They regrouped in the street, confusion and frustration mounting.
"What's going on? We're in the heart of the village! Where are the civilians? The children?!" one Sand ninja yelled, kicking at the door of an empty home.
"They must be hiding in shelters. Find them! Move out!" their commander ordered. The squad began to advance deeper.
***Swish! Swish! Thud! Thud!***
A volley of shuriken shot out from the shadows. Several Sand ninja cried out, falling before they could react. The remaining invaders looked up to a high wall. A squad of Konoha ANBU stood there, watching them with cold, predatory stillness.
"From this point on," a woman with long purple hair stated, her voice cutting through the air like steel, "we will not allow you to advance a single step further."
Konoha's counterattack had begun.
Across the village, the tide turned. The specialized clan ninja, the true backbone of Konoha's military might, surged into the streets.
"I... I can't move my body!" a Sand ninja cried out, trapped in a stretching, dark pool on the ground.
"Is this your first time seeing Konoha's secret Shadow Imitation Technique?" Nara Shikaku, Shikamaru's father, asked lazily from where he leaned against a building. "Then let me show you the next one: Shadow Neck Bind." With a thought, the shadows constricted, snapping the necks of the immobilized enemies.
Nearby, Yamanaka Inoichi used his clan's Mind Body Switch Technique to turn Sand ninja against each other, while Akimichi Choza used his Multi-Size Technique to crush others under his giant fist. The three clan heads converged.
"This takes me back," Inoichi said with a grim chuckle.
"The Ino-Shika-Cho trio, assembled once more!" Choza boomed.
"Osu!" the three shouted in unison, a wave of coordinated, devastating power sweeping through the invaders.
Ren, hearing the crescendo of battle cries and the sounds of Konoha's resurgence from all directions, paused. *So Konoha's finally fighting back in earnest. It's getting lively. But I need to move faster. If the Sand and Sound are wiped out before I hit my quota, I'll fail the mission!* He shot toward the area of the most intense fighting.
He reached a high vantage point overlooking a central plaza. Below, a fierce melee was underway. Shuriken flew like angry insects, kunai sparked as they clashed, and the blurred forms of shinobi darted and weaved. Every collision was met with a grunt of effort or a cry of pain.
*The fight is so intense... it's making my blood boil,* Ren thought, a predatory grin spreading behind his mask.
The combatants were moving at high speed, but to Ren's newly awakened Sharingan, their movements were perfectly clear, their every action predictable.
*I've used Chidori three times already. My chakra is almost depleted.* "System, can I restore my chakra?"
***Chakra Restoration. Cost: 1,000 Points. Confirm exchange?***
***Ding! 1,000 Points deducted. Remaining Points: 18,343.***
A wave of rejuvenating energy flooded his system, refilling his chakra reserves to their peak.
Down in the plaza, the battle had reached a momentary stalemate. The two sides had broken apart, panting and glaring at each other—a unified line of Konoha defenders facing a ragged but determined group of Sand and Sound allies.
Seeing the enemy forces clustered together, a brilliant, ruthless idea sparked in Ren's mind.
"System. Exchange for one Flying Thunder God Kunai."
***Flying Thunder God Kunai. Item Type: Tool. Item Level: C-Rank. Cost: 500 Points. Confirm exchange?***
***Ding! 500 Points deducted. Remaining Points: 17,843.***
A three-pronged kunai, marked with the intricate seals of the Flying Thunder God Technique, materialized in his hand. He hefted its familiar, deadly weight.
Ren looked down at the gathered Sand and Sound ninja, a cruel, calculating smile etched on his face behind the porcelain mask.
"Heh. The hunt is on..."
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